CVE-2024-38405

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-38405?

CVE-2024-38405 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) condition by sending specially crafted Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages containing malformed CU information in RNR IE. It affects Qualcomm chipsets used in mobile devices and IoT equipment. The attack requires proximity to the target device.

7.5 HIGH

Denial of Service

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) condition by sending specially crafted Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages containing malformed CU information in RNR IE. It affects Qualcomm chipsets used in mobile devices and IoT equipment. The attack requires proximity to the target device.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets with 5G/4G modems

Versions: Specific chipset firmware versions as listed in Qualcomm November 2024 bulletin

Operating Systems: Android, Linux-based IoT OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects devices with Qualcomm modems in active cellular connection state.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete device crash requiring physical restart, disrupting all cellular connectivity and device functionality until reboot.

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary loss of cellular connectivity (5G/4G) for several minutes until the device recovers automatically.

🟢

If Mitigated

Brief service interruption with automatic recovery within seconds if proper network segmentation and monitoring are in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires proximity to target device and specific radio conditions.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Same proximity requirements apply regardless of network location.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires specialized radio equipment and knowledge of cellular protocols to craft malicious RRC messages.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Firmware updates specified in Qualcomm November 2024 security bulletin

Vendor Advisory: https://docs.qualcomm.com/product/publicresources/securitybulletin/november-2024-bulletin.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check device manufacturer for available firmware updates. 2. Apply Qualcomm-provided patches through OEM update channels. 3. Reboot device after update installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable affected cellular bands

all

Temporarily disable 5G NR bands that use the vulnerable CU information processing

# Device-specific commands vary by manufacturer
# Typically in modem configuration settings

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement network monitoring for abnormal RRC message patterns
Use physical security controls to limit proximity-based attacks in sensitive areas

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device firmware version against Qualcomm's affected versions list in the November 2024 bulletin

Check Version:

# Android: Settings > About Phone > Baseband version
# Linux: modem manager commands vary by distribution

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify firmware version has been updated to patched version from device manufacturer

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Modem crash logs
RRC connection failure events
Unexpected modem resets

Network Indicators:

Abnormal RRC message patterns
Multiple connection attempts with malformed IE

SIEM Query:

source="modem_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="reset") AND message="RNR"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-38405

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-126

Published: November 4, 2024

Last Updated: November 7, 2024

🔗 References

https://docs.qualcomm.com/product/publicresources/securitybulletin/november-2024-bulletin.html Patch,Vendor Advisory

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

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Sa8620p Firmware by Qualcomm

Sa8650p Firmware by Qualcomm

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